Sunday, October 21, 2018

Back in the old days I would play our kids, and sometimes even myself, to sleep using C's old plywood topped El Degas guitar to plunk out lullabies and super slowed down versions of tunes from Nebraska and such.

Anyway...

Our kids are both pretty much grown and gone a good chunk of the time now.

Which means that I play my guitar to an empty room most bedtimes these days.

Which is why the following lines, from Guy Clark's 'Stuff That Works' slays me:

"I got an old guitar won't ever stay in tune

I like the way it sounds

In a dark and empty room"

And, in case you haven't guessed it, once something like that gets its hooks in me I pretty have to play it over and over and over again.

So, here's my El Degas-assisted version of Mr. Clark's tune, which, bombasted up a little, probably could have been a Chevy truck commercial if Bob Seger hadn't already cashed in...

6 comments:

Lovely, reflective piece. I love the Whackdoodle accents in the background. I have to spend most of my playing time working at Big Band chord changes and cues, but I always try to include a quick run through Willin', or Roll 'em Easy, or something along those lines. Will add this one to the library.

Put on a Chet Atkins record for company this summer. It got the expected “What the...?” response I expected. Guitar picking is so last century to so many in our chip happy present day. The music won them over of course with both its brightness and warmth. Two aspects losing ground to darkness and cold in today’s climate one might say.

Guy Clark would have evoked the very same response. I have more of his records than I care to think about. A late night television favourite from the old days.